An English wargamer reminisces about years of gaming, documents his many future defeats and offers whatever tips about modelling cross his mind at the time. Hopefully it'll be entertaining too!

Wednesday, January 02, 2013

Blue Skinned Fury!

Back from the longish break for the holidays,and I've yet to consider a review of the year just gone. There's plenty to catch up with anyway. First of all I added some more Lizard Kin to my 10mm army. A different breed of infantry, more cavalry, a battle priest/king and a mighty flaming catapult - loaded onto the back of a giant tortoise!

With all these awaiting first blood, I arranged a game against Ste, who was beavering away on his old collection of Warmaster Dwarves. He was looking to have a go at Kings of War, and who was I to refuse.

His army featured masses of Dwarven Beserkers and cannon, whilst mine was filled with massed hordes of spears, our own version of fanatics, and some grandiose beasties.

For the first game we rolled up the 'Kill and Pillage' scenario and deployed. Ste put most of his fanatics on his left, with all the artillery in a line in the centre. Against it I deployed my hordes of spears, with big-hitting flankers.

I advanced into the centre forcefully. But it was the flank attacks that were really to make the Dwarves regret offering battle.

KoW is a game that rewards coordinated action and an ability to push the battle to be fought on your terms. Winning the game is much less in the hands of who can write the dirtiest list, but rather in terms of who can command the canniest force. I was able to use the flanks to concentrate attacks, and bring maximum force to bear.

The net result, for Stephen, was thankfully, not covered by the camera! The Dwarf beserkers were destroyed by shooting and cavalry charges, whilst the cannons were easy pickings to large units that could weather the firestorm to approach them. The beasties (dubbed the Death Chicken and the Death Tortoise) made short work of Ste's right flank, and it was all over , as what little of his army was left was surrounded.

It was a valuable learning experience for him, and it also left enough time for a second round. With different terrain , we deployed again. This time Stephen sought to divide up his artillery park, and aimed to use his Beserkers as a second fighting line instead of as frontal assault troops.

The Lizard Kin advance was far less successful; with fewer targets presented, and Ste aiming to pick off the threats that he missed in the first game, our attack soon broke down amongst the buildings of the village.

By game end, we had again made it in to his artillery park, but precious little else was working in the Lizards favour.

I was willing to accept defeat in the second game, and that left it one all on the day.

Nice to give the Lizards their first taste of battle, and Stephen his first game of Kings of War. The Twilight Kin list I use as my Lizardmen is interesting, varied and potent. A good choice I think for them.